The Sunday chess column

A good half century after Indian independence, the British Chess Federation has reluctantly acknowledged that this populous country is no longer part of the Empire, thus confounding critics who had accused the governing body of being out of touch.

So Abhijit Kunte, the winner of the 2003 Smith & Williamson British Championship, will be known to history as the third and final Indian to hold the title; hence-forth participants will require either citizenship or a residence qualification. Not before time.

While I have some sympathy with the mostly sub-continental players who, entirely blamelessly, were simply enjoying the benefits of the anachronistic regulations, I have greater sympathy for our own struggling professionals, who have been complaining for years and most of whom stayed away in protest this time.

Quite apart from the undeniable logic of having a national championship that is actually a national championship, the domestic scene is in such a parlous condition that we simply cannot afford to have foreigners cleaning up most of the £25,000 in prize money.

The most galling sight for many this year was the participation of my Athenian neighbour Vassilios Kotronias, who, even under theold and exceptionally lax entry conditions, would not have been admitted had itnot been for his Cypriot flag of convenience. Apart from the language, Vassilios has even less in common with that island than your average holiday-maker.

The Scottish representatives performed better than usual with Paul Motwani among the small group in second place. Edinburgh-based Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant, who by now could almost be considered a local lass despite flying the Georgian flag, scored a highly respectable 7.5/11 to win the British Ladies title.

On to the game: I am under strict instructions from my editor to analyse the following anarchic encounter from Biel. I shall humbly do as I am bid.

There is a strong argument for skirmishing directly with 9. ...Qb6 forking two pawns. Instead Morozevich relies on the long-term potential of the two bishops, and the supposed weakness of the doubled isolated pawns. However, as John Nunn taught me 23 years ago, these pawns cover a lot of important central squares. 10.Qd2! protecting the knight and, coincidentally, removing the sting from Qb6.

10. ...Nd7 11. Bc4 Bh6 12. f4 A little loosening but lending support to the knight and removing the pin. 12. ...Nf6 13. 0-0 a6 14. a4! Bf5 15. a5Rc8 16. Bb3 It is hard to conclude other than Black's counterplay is insufficient. He is cramped and has no way of regaining the pawn. 16. ...Qd617. Rfe1 Qb4 18. Ra3